Man Somehow Steals More Than 1,100 Books from Libraries

There are all sorts of taboo fetishes out there that can eventually catch up with a person and force the proverbial hammer of the law to come swinging down something rotten, spoiling all of the fun.

That is exactly what happened to a 61-year-old man who Japanese police say stole nearly 1,100 library books to satisfy what appears to be a mean case of kleptomania combined with an intense passion for the bound literary word.

Mitsuka Suizu was arrested earlier this year for swindling a public library in western Japan out of a small number of books that lead to a search of his home. That is where authorities say Suizu broke down and confessed to stealing nearly 1,200 books over the course of seven years -- an estimated value of more than $25,000.

“He loves books,” said Nagato police spokesperson Yosuke Miyoshi. “He didn’t just want to read them. He wanted them by his side.”

According to police reports, Suizu used his breaks away from work as opportunities to steal books from some 15 libraries, encompassing a variety of topics ranging from history to insects.

While library staff has identified almost 900 of the books as being their property, police have no idea where the other 274 books came from.

At this time, there is no word as to what kind of punishment Suizu will receive for his crimes. However, it is rumored that Japanese law officials want to refrain from throwing the book at him because they are afraid he will try to keep it.